Rivian Automotive Inc. has commenced its first commercial shipments outside the United States by delivering electric vans to Europe for its key customer, Amazon.com Inc.
Over the next few weeks, Amazon will introduce over 300 electric delivery vans to several German cities, including Munich, Berlin, and Dusseldorf. As the largest shareholder and primary customer of Rivian, Amazon has placed an order for 100,000 vans to be delivered by 2030.
Having already deployed more than 3,000 of Rivian’s vans in American cities, the manufacturer initially aimed to deliver 10,000 vans by the end of last year, but fell short of that target.
Rivian, based in Irvine, California, is among the leading American electric vehicle startups, joining the race alongside Tesla Inc. In addition to the delivery vans, Rivian produces two consumer models, the R1T pickup truck and R1S sport utility vehicle, at its assembly plant in Normal, Illinois.
In December, Rivian abandoned its plans for a collaborative venture with Mercedes-Benz Group AG to manufacture electric vans in Europe.
Rivian’s production has gained momentum after a challenging year that saw its shares plummet by 82%. With support from prominent investors such as Amazon and T. Rowe Price Group Inc., the company achieved one of the largest listings in US history in November 2021.
On Monday, Rivian announced that it had exceeded production estimates in the second quarter, manufacturing 13,992 vehicles, and reaffirmed its goal to more than double production to 50,000 vehicles by the end of this year.